KARACHI, May 23: The Sindh Assembly Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday settled 11 draft paras out of total 14 involving Rs19.650 million anomalies pertaining to the audit report for the years 2006 to 2009.

Out of 14 paras, seven pertained to the Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, five were related to the University of Karachi and two paras pertained to the IBA Sukkur.

Out of three paras, which were deferred, two related to the SAL University audit report 2005-06 and 2006-07 and one pertaining to the University of Karachi from the audit report 2006-07.

The total financial irregularities involved in 14 paras of the three educational institutions were of Rs25.362 million. After settlement of 11 paras, Rs5.712 million were left in balance which pertained to unjustified payment of Rs1.974 million medical allowance and payment of Rs0.425 million various other allowances by Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur and Rs3.313 million for non-accountable of stores articles by the University of Karachi.

The PAC chief, Jam Tamachi Unar, decided to write to the secretary of finance of the government of Sindh whether 100 per cent application of the financial rules were obligatory also for autonomous bodies like universities or were relaxable in the light of the decisions of university syndicate.

The PAC meeting, which was attended by Ghulam Mujadid Isran and Shoaib Ibrahim, as a special case settled the para 17.2 of the SAL University following representation by its vice chancellor Dr Nilofer Shaikh as she drew attention of the PAC towards vast difference in salary structure of teachers in the public and private educational institutions.

“If teachers in public sector institutions are not provided allowances, it would not be possible to retain duly-qualified staff as they could switch over to private sector institutions on attractive remuneration,” she added.